How do dental practices respond to changes in scope of practice regulations?
利用1989-2014年牙科诊所调查数据，研究州级执业范围放松管制对诊所行为的影响，发现放松对牙科卫生师使用笑气或局部麻醉的限制，短期内减少了每周就诊次数、缩短了患者等待时间，并增加了治疗低收入公共保险患者的可能性。
Regulations that restrict the tasks that credentialed workers are allowed to perform may affect a firm's input choices, output, and which part of the market the firm serves. Using dental practice survey data from 1989 to 2014 and a stacked difference-in-differences design, this paper examines the effects of state-level scope of practice regulations on the behavior of dental practices. Results suggest that scope of practice deregulation in regards to dental hygienists' ability to administer nitrous oxide or local anesthesia is associated with fewer dentist visits per week in the short-term, lower patient wait times, and an increased likelihood of treating lower revenue generating publicly insured patients. There is weak evidence that scope of practice deregulation alters a practice's labor inputs.